


It Hasn't Been Your Day

by erinyeserinno



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Friends AU, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Roommates, cause i didn't want to start at the beginning, idk what else to tag it with, ill tag more later maybe, it takes place like in s4 of friends, it's based on the tv show friends, katherine is kinda pregnant because it was relevant to the story, literally that's it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-16 10:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11826771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erinyeserinno/pseuds/erinyeserinno
Summary: Spot and Jack are roommates, Albert and Racetrack live across the hall with a chicken and a duck, David is gay and getting married to a girl, Crutchie plays matchmaker, Katherine is a surrogate, and everyday seems to be hectic. No one told them life was gonna be this way...Or the Friends AU of Newsies you didn't know you needed.





	1. The One With All the Haste

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure what this is, but I was watching some episodes of Friends and I was like wow this would be a great AU for Newsies. Each character seemed to fit really well. David is basically Ross (but better because we all know Ross is problematic), Jack is Rachel, Spot is Monica (because we all know he's secretly a neatfreak and a control freak), Race is Chandler, Crutchie is Phoebe, and Albert and Katherine kind of make up Joey and the rest of the characters at times because their my faves and need to be there. I hope you enjoy! I'll be adding more chapters soon if this gets hits and kudos and comments, etc.

 

_Morning’s here… the morning’s here!_

Jack shuffled in his bed, flipping onto his side. The dull melody seemed to get louder as he slowly began to wake up.

_Morning’s here! Morning is here!_

As he gained consciousness, Jack felt his annoyance build. _Not again_ , he thought. He shoved his head under his pillow. This was the third time this week he had been woken up at the ass crack of dawn by his obnoxious neighbor in the next building over. It didn’t help that Jack slept with his window cracked open last night; now there was nothing protecting him from the sonorous all-too-cheerful singing.

_The morning is here!_

That was it. Jack shot up in his bed and forced the window open all the way.

“HEY!” He screamed from across the narrow alleyway between the buildings, sticking his head out the window.

His neighbor, who was singing and getting ready for the day, abruptly stopped and looked at him, startled.

 “Buddy, do ya have to do that?” Jack said exasperated and full of rage. “It’s saturday!”

“Oh, come on! Morning’s here!” His neighbor reasoned. He slowly began to sing again, “ _Morning’s here… Sunshine is here!”_

Jack slowly backed into his room again, glaring. He slammed his window shut. Muttering to himself angrily, he trudged through his bedroom and threw open the door, leading the rest of his and Spot’s apartment.

“I hate this apartment,” He declared. Most would believe he was having a bad morning, considering how angry he felt, but since moving into the apartment across the hall from his old one, every morning has been a bad morning.

Jack Kelly moved in with Spot Conlon, his old childhood friend after spending a few years living in Santa Fe. He was originally from New York anyway, so it was no surprise when he felt the city calling him back. He packed up his bags and with no plan whatsoever, ended up back in the big city. It was pure luck when he ran into Spot at a coffee shop on his first day back. When he learned Jack had no where to stay, he offered up his extra bedroom until Jack was back on his feet. Neither of them seemed to mind when they regained their close friendship and Jack continued to live with him long after he was financially stable.

The problem was, the two lost a bet to their neighbors and friends across the hall. Spot became friends with Racetrack (or Anthony, Jack supposed, but no one ever called him that) when he first moved into the same apartment building. Jack actually knew him before, he worked his first job with the blonde haired boy. They quickly reconnected as well. Albert joined the little friend group due to Race’s need for a roommate. Jack took a liking to him as well.

A few weeks back, Race and Albert bet that they knew Spot and Jack way better than they knew them. They spent an entire day playing an elaborate trivia game with questions about each other (set up by their friend David, the brains of the group) and unfortunately Jack lost. The deal was, if Jack and Spot win, Race and Albert would get rid of their horribly loud pet chicken. Jack wasn’t a morning person and being woken up with the sun by a rooster was almost as bad as the singing neighbor. It sounded like a good deal to him. The problem was, if they lost, Spot told Albert and Race that they could have their apartment. And it was a _really_ nice apartment.

It was all Race and Spot’s fault. They got too carried away with gambling.

“I hate the color of these walls!” Jack said slamming his hand on the door frame. “They’re beige! That’s the worst color in existence! I’m a painter, this is an insult! _And_ I hate the fact that this place still smells like bird!” Jack pointed an accusing finger at Race who was sitting with Spot eating breakfast in the tiny attached kitchen.

He stomped over to the table and sat down.

“I hate that singin’ guy!”

“Are you kiddin’?” Racetrack asked in disbelief. “I love that guy! _Morning’s here, mornin’ is here-_ ”

“STOP IT!” Jack jumped up nearly strangled him, back Spot intercepted his lunge

Race quickly shut up.

Jack clenched his fists, which were still raised towards Race’s face. “I will kill you,” he said, fuming. He dropped back into his chair.

“I hate the fact that my room is so small…” Jack continued.

“Just do what I do. All my stuff fits,” Spot shrugged.

“You got no bed! You sleep in the middle of the floor curled up in a ball like a dog,” Jack pointed out.

“I ain’t no dog,” Spot grumbled, half pouting, half glaring. “Jack, I’m tired of your complainin’. I’m not gonna listen to this anymore. I did the best I could to make this a decent place to live! Just move out if ya hate it so much.”

Jack sighed. Spot was a bit of a neat freak and a perfectionist and he’d had a harder time moving into Race and Albert’s messy, gross apartment.

“Okay, no, you’re right. I’m sorry,” Jack apologized sincerely.

“See? This is a great apartment!” Race chirped optimistically.

 “Shut up, this place is a hole,” Spot snapped.

 Race rolled his eyes at Spot’s quick change of perspective. He shrugged and took a bite of his toast.

 Great start to Jack’s day.

\---

Crutchie Morris, another key piece of the puzzle that was Jack’s bizarre friend group, wandered into Racetrack and Albert’s apartment later that day with Katherine Plumber. Katherine was currently acting as a surrogate for a friend of hers and was in her third trimester of pregnancy. It was a weird transition for everyone, but it was mostly exciting.

 “Hey, guys.”

 Albert and Race turned in their La-Z-Boy recliners and were met with a surprising sight. Katherine strutted in with Crutchie at her heels, wearing Santa Claus’s pants. Literally. She was wearing costume pants that should only be seen in December. Crutchie set their haul of shopping bags on the table.

 “Ho, ho, ho,” Race nearly laughed.

 “Shh!” Katherine hushed him, glaring. She moved closer to the two and explained, “I did some shopping for maternity clothes with Crutchie and these pants were the one thing he picked out that weren’t completely unbearable. He just looked so happy, I didn’t want to disappoint him!”

 “So, you bought ‘em?” Albert asked, confused. “Did he not realize that they belong to a certain jolly, old fella?”

 “No, and you guys can’t ruin this for him. He never gets the chance to do pregnancy stuff with me. It’s always one of you guys or Jack or Spot,” Katherine said.

 “Yeah... that’s not happening. I’m gonna have some fun with this,” Race decided.

 Crutchie crossed the room to join them. “What do ya think of Katherine’s new pants? Picked them out myself.”

 “Crutchie, those are Santa pants.”

 “What?” He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at the pants.

 “Santa Claus’s pants.

 “Nuh-uh. They’re maternity pants!” he said defensively. He reached into Katherine’s pocket and pulled out a list of paper. The girl just stood emotionlessly and looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there, dealing with obnoxious boys. “Look, it came with a list of baby names! This side is the ‘good’ names and this side is the ‘bad’!” He pointed to the labels above the columns of names.

 Race gave the short boy a pointed look. Crutchie examined the “naughty and nice” list again, things clicking into place.

 “ _Oh_ ,” he said quietly in realization.

 “Hey,” Jack said in greeting as he and Spot entered the apartment too. He stopped in his tracks and stared at Katherine’s pants.

 “Well, hey there, Kath,” he said smugly, “How are the elves?”

 “Okay, thanks, we get it! She’s wearing Santa pants!” Crutchie threw up his hands in frustration and stalked his way over to the couch and flopped down on it.

 "It’s a long story, don’t ask,” Katherine supplied. Jack and Spot nodded.

 “Guys, what should Jack and I wear to a Knicks game?” Spot asked nonchalantly.

 “Uh, a tee shirt that says ‘I don’t belong here’,” Race suggested.

 “You guys both hate basketball. Spot prefers more violent sports like hockey and wrestling and Jack doesn’t have the patience to watch it the whole way through without getting bored,” Albert frowned. “What are you doing going to a Knicks game?”

 “My ma got the season tickets in my parents’ divorce, so she sent ‘em to me,” Jack explained. “Apparently, they’s good seats.”

 Both Race and Albert stood to examine the tickets in Jack’s hand.

 “Those are almost right on the floor!” Albert exclaimed.

 “Oh, do you two fellas want these?” Jack asked. Both boys nearly shouted ‘yes’ in his face. “Well, today’s your lucky day. You got ‘em.”

 “Alright!” Race grinned reached for them.

 Jack whipped them away, “Ya didn’t let me finish. You got ‘em, _if_ you give us our apartment back.”

 The redhead and the blonde backed away slightly, less willing to grab the tickets.

 “I did not see that coming,” Crutchie let out a whistle from the couch.

 “We know what these tickets are worth. We ain’t stupid,” Spot crossed his arms.

 “Well, I didn’t think either of you’s was stupid. You’s a lot meaner than I thought, though,” Albert admitted.

 “No deal, no way. There’s nothing you can do to take this apartment away from us,” Race said firmly.

 Jack narrowed his eyes. “This ain’t over, Higgins.”

\---

“I still think you should take the tickets,” Crutchie said to Race as they entered their usual coffee house. Katherine nodded in agreement, approaching the counter.

 “It ain’t happenin’. I worked too hard for that apartment,” The taller boy said proudly.

“You won a game of trivia,” Crutchie deadpanned.

 “Hey! There were some hard questions.”

 As they ordered their coffee and took a seat on the couch in the lounge area, David walked through the door.

 “Hiya, Davey,” Crutchie greeted brightly.

 David gave a small wave and took a seat next to Race.

 “Woah, woah, what the hell is that?” he pointed to the fresh tattoo on David’s forearm, revealed due to his half-rolled sleeves.

 David moved quickly to cover it up from sight. He sighed.

 “It’s not real. Anna wanted to get couple tattoos, but I’m terrified of needles,” David sighed. “I also didn’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment.”

 “There’s a shock,” Katherine joked.

 David had been dating this girl Anna from West Virginia for the past six weeks. As far as everyone knew, Davey was head over heels for her. Davey was not. Crutchie was the only one who knew the truth. His parents set him up with her. Ever since Sarah got married his parents have been on his case about David finding a nice girl and settling down with her.

 David admitted that he was having a good time, he really liked Anna. If there was any girl he could maybe fall for, it would be her. So, he continued to date her. Anna really liked him too. The problem was that she really wanted to get serious and settle down. It was exactly what his parents wanted. Crutchie understood that David was looking for something in the complete opposite direction.

 And how did Crutchie know all of this? One big secret slipped out of Drunk Davey’s mouth and the rest came tumbling out. The short boy became his confidante for everything after that.

 “Good on you,” Crutchie told him. “You don’t want to be moving too fast.”

 “That’s kinda the thing,” Davey said scratching his head. “Anna doesn’t seem to mind moving fast. She wants me to move down to West Virginia with her.”

 “WHAT?” Crutchie spat out his coffee.

“You serious?” Race said simultaneously. “You’ve only known her six weeks! I got a carton of milk in my fridge I’ve had a longer relationship with.”

 “That’s disgusting,” David cringed. He shook his head, “I know we’re moving really fast, but why not? What’s the problem with that? She seems to be the one for me, so. And she’s exactly the girl my parents want me to be with. They love her.”

 Bullshit, Crutchie thought. He wasn’t gonna sit here and listen to Davey talk about how he could “probably love her” he could “learn to love her” maybe he could “settle for her to make his parents happy.” No way in hell he would let that happen.

 “And I love the milk!” Race exclaimed. “But I’m not gonna move to West Virginia and start my life over for a girl!” He seemed to realize his metaphor disappeared, so he turned his head, “Katherine, you’s smart. You say stuff now.”

 “Okay, look, Davey, Anna is great, but you can’t do this,” Katherine said, leaning forward to talk directly to David. “What about us? Your friends? What about your family? You’ll be starting your entire life over. What if the relationship doesn’t even work out?”

 “You gotta listen to what your heart is telling you. And if you think it’s tellin’ ya this, you ain’t listenin’ hard enough,” Crutchie added.

 “You’re right,” David hung his head. “I won’t do it, I’ll tell her that things are fine the way they are right now. It just sucks that she keeps having to fly back and forth to see me.”

 “It’s best this way. It’s not like you’re married to her. Married people can’t be together when they live that far apart,” Race pointed out as he took a sip of coffee.

 A look appeared on David’s face as if he got an idea, but he wasn’t happy about it. Crutchie narrowed his eyes. What was going on with him? 

\---

“Last chance for the tickets, fellas,” Jack said tempting them as he walked next door again. Race, Katherine and Crutchie returned from the coffee place a little before Spot and Jack showed up again. It seemed as if they had been scheming all day. Jack wouldn’t quit until he got his rightful apartment back.

 “No thanks,” Race glared, walking to the opposite side of the room. Albert jumped up and followed him.

 “Why not? This is the perfect time to switch back. I just clogged the toilet!” He grinned.

 Race gave him a disgusted look and then reasoned, “We can’t live in a smaller apartment again after we’ve lived in this one. Have you even read _Flowers for Algernon_?”

 “Have you read _Sports Illustrated_?” Albert shot back. There was a short pause. “No I haven’t read yours! I always forget you’re all book-smart and stuff. It’s just- we could go to the game tonight!”

 “It ain’t a fair trade. This apartment is worth more than season tickets.”

 “But it’s the Knicks!”

 “Screw the Knicks!”

 “Woah, there,” Albert said backing away, thoroughly offended.

 “Okay, I didn’t mean that,” Race backtracked. “I just meant the apartment is worth way more.”

 Albert crossed his arms, staring at the floor pouting.

 “...and the Knicks rule all,” Racetrack finished.

 He beamed. “Yeah, they do!”

 “So, are you two boneheads gonna do it?” Katherine called from the kitchen.

 "No, it’s not a fair trade,” Race approached everyone and stood his ground. Katherine and Crutchie were seated at the end of the table while Spot and Jack stared across at Race and Albert from one side.

 “Okay, what if you’s could keep the apartment _and_ the tickets-” Jack began.

 “Deal!” Albert piped up.

 Jack rolled his eyes, “I ain’t finished yet. I’m talkin’ about another bet. Winner takes all.”

 "We could end up with nothing,” Albert said to Race, worried

 “Or you could end up with everything,” Crutchie pointed out.

 “I like the sound of that. Okay, I’m in.”

 “I’m not!” Race exclaimed.

 “Just do it,” Spot told him.

 “Huh, I’m completely convinced,” He said sarcastically.

 “Come on, man,” Albert begged. He gave Race puppy dog eyes and said, “You know I’d do it for you. Because you’s my _best friend_.”

 Race sighed, “Okay fine, but ya can’t use that again for a whole year. I’m in.”

 Spot and Jack smirked. Katherine rolled her eyes.

 “This is so exciting!” Crutchie said hopping from his seat. “Ooh, what are you guys gonna bet?”

 Jack threw his arm across the short boy’s shoulder, “Well, I think Crutchie should decide because he’s the only one who’s impartial and he’s so handsome.”

 Crutchie blushed a little, unaware of Jack just trying to sway the bet his way.

 “Alright, I’m gonna leave before this gets ugly again.” Katherine stood and headed for the door. On her way out she called, “You boys behave yourselves!”

They collectively shook their heads. They would probably end up disappointing her. Again.

“Okay, hm,” Crutchie thought for a moment and then perked up. “I have a game!”

“Great, what is it?” Albert asked eagerly as the group migrated into the living room area.

“Well, it don’t have a name...” Crutchie admitted. He then seemed to jump right in, “Uh, okay. Spot, what’s ya favorite thing about trees?”

Crutchie leaned forward a bit, talking slowly, almost in a game-show-host-type-way. He seemed to be having fun with this already though, despite the first question not making any sense. This game was going to be weird as hell.

Spot gave him a weird look. “They’s green?”

“Good! Good! Five points!” Crutchie said excited.

Jack raised his hand for a hive-five.

“Albert,” Crutchie addressed, “Same question.”

He gave Race a panicked look and glanced between his roommate and Crutchie several times before saying, “I know! They’s tall.”

Crutchie winced, “Ooh, three points.”

Albert gave him a bewildered look.

“Both were fine answers but we was looking for ‘leafy’,” Crutchie explained, “ _Leafy_.”

“That ain’t even a game,” Spot threw up his arms

Jack slapped his side, “Shut up! We’s winnin’.”

Spot rolled his eyes and turned to their opposing team, “Wanna settle this now? How about we’s get a deck of cards, highest card wins. What do ya say?”

“Alright, fine,” Race agreed.

“Oh, I got some cards!” Crutchie started to rifle through his pockets. “Here ya go.”

As he lifted the deck, it slipped and conveniently all of the cards stayed stuck together mid-air in a neat line, like something out of a magician’s show.

“Oh right, that’s the trick deck,” Crutchie shook his head and pulled out another set. “Here we go.”

“You guys pick first,” Race told Jack and Spot. Spot rubbed his hands together and then picked the first card on the deck. He frowned.

“Four,” he said miserably.

“That’s a low one, yes!” Race cheered. Albert then reached for a card in Crutchie’s hand. He hesitated.

“Crutchie, you look. I can’t do it,” he shoved the card in said boy’s face and Crutchie quickly averted his eyes, nearly toppling over.

“What makes ya think I can?!”

The others collectively rolled their eyes. The short boy was getting way too into this considering he wasn’t involved whatsoever. Albert flipped the card around.

“Ace!”

Both parties began to cheer and hollar. Crutchie furrowed his eyebrows and looked between the two. Noticing a little too much cheering in the room, Race stopped jumping in excitement and narrowed his eyes at Spot and Jack.

“Wait, why is you’s celebratin’?” Race asked, accusingly.

“‘Cause we just won the apartment back!”

“What? No. Ace is high. Jack, Queen, King, Ace,” Albert told them.

“ _No_ ,” Spot said. “Ace is low. Ace, two, three, _four_.”

They all looked at Crutchie to decided. He shrugged.

“Beats me.”

Everyone groaned.

Crutchie scrambled for a distraction to lighten the frustrated mood, “Ooh, look!” He grabbed the  trick deck of cards and displayed it again. There was a beat of silence as Crutchie received annoyed, impressed, and enamored looks from around the room.

“Okay, let’s pick again!” Jack announced.

So they did. Spot and Jack picked a Queen, and unfortunately Race and Albert picked a King. After useless begging to pick again, Race snatched the basketball tickets from Jack smugly.

Like hell that was the end of it.

\---

“Move, move, move!” Jack commanded from the middle of the hallway, hauling two couch cushions under his arms while Spot pushed their actual couch between apartments. Crutchie followed behind carrying a small lamp.

When Albert and Race left for the Knicks game, the three of them were sitting in their apartment and an idea popped into Crutchie’s head.

“Why don’t you guys just switch the apartments back while they’re gone?”

A “that’s ridiculous” died quickly on Jack’s tongue as he opened his mouth. The kid had a point. It was the perfect plan. So, with a smirk he glanced at Spot, they both nodded and raced across the hall.

For the past hour they had been exchanging furniture at top speed into both apartments. Not only did they have to move all of their stuff, but they had to put Race and Albert’s into their old apartment too. The two would only be gone for a few hours so Spot and Jack were going at top speed while Crutchie alternated helping and laughing at them. As challenging and ridiculous as the whole situation was, they were having a good time. Jack hadn’t laughed so hard in a while.

The result of it all was worth it.

All of Spot and Jack’s stuff was properly returned to their rightful home and everything was good in the world again. Jack and Spot were quite pleased with themselves. However, Race and Albert were not as happy.

The three were minding their own business, enjoying their apartment when a loud banging and a voice shouting “Open up! Open up! Open up!” could be heard at their door. Spot stood up and stomped his way to the door. Crutchie and Jack stood and followed him. Leaving the chain bolt locked, he opened the door the restrained amount it was able to.

“We’ll discuss it in the mornin’,” Spot said sternly. He then, promptly, slammed the door.

“What the hell is goin’ on?!” Race shouted through the door.

Honestly, they deserved it. They had been cocky assholes about the entire apartment situation. All of Jack’s anger came flooding back. How could they be upset about this? Jack had more of a reason to be mad.

Jack now opened the door. “We took our apartment back,” he said angrily, forcing each word out. He slammed the door too.

Crutchie quickly bent down and cracked open the door to talk to the guys too.

“I had nothin’ to do with it,” he assured them before slamming the door too.

Shocked, Race and Albert continued to exchange looks from the hallway. They just stood confused and angry as head after head popped through the door.

Crutchie appeared again. “Okay… It was my idea, but I don’t feel good about it.”

He went to shut the door again but Race threw all of his body weight against it and forced it open as far as it could go. Crutchie jumped back behind Spot and Jack.

“We are switching back right now!” Race demanded.

“No, we ain’t. We ain’t leavin’,” Spot scowled at him through the small space.

“Well, you’ll have to eventually. You’s both got jobs. As soon as you leave we’s switching back!” Race told them, proud of himself for his clever thinking. “There’s nothing you can do to stop us. Right, Albo?”

“Well…”

Race whipped his head around towards his roommate, who was clearly _not_ on the same page as him.

“I don’t know…”

The blonde looked at him in disbelief and shut the door, to keep Spot and Jack from witnessing this unfortunate turn of events.

“What?” He asked, bewildered.

“I don’t want to move _again,_ ” Albert whined a little, gesturing between the doors across from each other.

“I don’t care! This is our apartment! And they stole-,” he cut himself off and turned to shout through the door, “YOU’S STOLE IT!” He turned back to Albert. “We won that apartment fair and square, twice! And I am gettin’ it back right now!” he shouted to the door again, “I’M GETTIN’ IT BACK RIGHT NOW!”

Jack unhooked the lock and opened the door fully.

“Alright, we figured this was how you’s was gonna react, so we’s got a backup offer,” Jack told them.

“No more offers! You can’t offer anything to us!” Race declared.

“Let us keep the apartment…” Jack began. “And-”

“As a thank you,” Spot gritted out, “Jack and I will kiss for one minute.”

Race’s jaw dropped and Albert’s eyes widened. Two insanely hot guys making out? How could you say no to _that_?

Obviously Race and Albert had their priorities straighten out.

\---

“They are such idiots,” Spot scoffed as he and Jack unpacked their smaller items from boxes.

“Can you’s believe somethin’ that stupid actually got us our apartment back?” Jack laughed.

Crutchie sat on the couch, knitting his version of a scarf that looked too sad-looking to actually be one.

“It’s kinda funny to think, if you two had just done that after you’s lost the first bet, no one would’ve had to switch apartments at all!” Crutchie said smiling, carrying on with his knitting.

Spot and Jack froze.

“Let’s pretend that ain’t true,” Spot announced.

“Yeah…” Jack moved away from Spot slightly to stack their now-empty box with the others.

Crutchie held up his creation, “Scarf’s done!”

“That’s great, buddy,” Spot said, shooting him a smile. He made eye contact with Jack and shook his head, horrified by the ugly thing. Jack chuckled and disappeared into his room with the stack of boxes.

The door opened and Katherine walked through the door.

“Oh, hey Kath,” Crutchie greeted. “Like my scarf? I think my knittin’ is getting better.”

The aburn-haired girl smiled, “Looks good, Crutchie.”

She set her bag on their kitchen table and took a seat beside him on the couch. Once she was settled, she said,

“So where’s David?”

“No clue. I haven’t seen him all day,” Spot said, after packing some dishes away in the kitchen and joining them.

“I got a text from him saying to meet everyone here,” Katherine explained, confused.

“I haven’t heard anything,” Crutchie said, equally as puzzled.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Anna, David’s girlfriend appeared, dragging said boy into the apartment. Albert and Race followed close behind, seemingly as confused as the others.

“What’s goin’ on?” Spot wondered aloud.

“Davey’s got some big thing to tell everyone,” Albert said taking a seat on the couch beside Spot and Crutchie. Race took the lounge chair.

“Well, uh,” David looked nervous. He glanced around the room. Where was Jack?

“David and I are getting married!” Anna squealed happily. She showed off her ring.

Everyone in the room was silent. Because, _what the hell?_ Crutchie thought to himself. Was Davey serious? He’d only known this girl for six weeks. And he didn’t even love her! He said he could _settle_ for her, not _settle down with_ her.

“Wow, really?”

“This is so unexpected.”

“Oh! Are you pregnant too?”

They all gave Katherine a look. She put her hands up defensively as if to say, ‘what?’

“Um, no, I’m not pregnant,” Anna laughed awkwardly.

“When did you- how did you- why?” Spot scrambled for words.

“We- we just decided to go for it,” David said sheepishly, as if he were embarrassed of the whole thing.

“We know it’s a bit hasty, but it just feels so right!” Anna beamed.

Crutchie frowned. This wasn’t right. Davey could’ve fooled the rest of them, but not him.

A while back, Crutchie was helping a completely wasted Davey back to his apartment after a rough night. He felt guilty about it, but Davey kept going on and on about Jack and Jack’s hair and Jack’s biceps and has Jack always had that little freckle on his jaw? Crutchie didn’t mean to learn about David’s deepest secret crush, but he did. He knew. And there was no way David could’ve gotten over it that quickly.

Crutchie stayed the night at his place, knowing David would need someone in the morning to explain why he had a killer hangover. So, once Davey’s head wasn’t pounding so much, Crutchie brought it up and Davey groaned and covered his face. Once they started talking, it was like a dam broke inside David. They talked about how Davey had been in love with Jack since he moved back to New York and they met. They talked about how David was supposed to be straight, how his parents just wanted him to grow up and find a nice girl. They talked about how freaked out David had been since realizing his feelings for Jack. Suddenly it made sense why he never dated any girls in high school and the ones he met in college never lasted more than three dates. They talked about how Davey thought he was gay. They talked about everything that was racing in David’s mind everyday.

That morning was important to Crutchie. He and David had always been friends, but they became closer then. Crutchie now knew David’s biggest fear was letting people down. So, could he possibly agree to meet a girl his parents set him up with and decide to marry her after six weeks to please said parents? There was no doubt in Crutchie’s mind, that yes, that was the exact situation. And it was complete bullshit.

Crutchie was ready to pull David aside and knock some sense into him. He made eye contact with him and glared, but then Jack appeared in his bedroom door way and with one glance towards him, Crutchie’s heart broke.

That was the other thing. Jack was hopelessly in love with Davey too. And neither of them knew about it. Crutchie’s stomach dropped when he realized Jack probably heard the whole thing from his bedroom.

David followed Crutchie’s line of vision and turned around to see Jack. He gulped. Suddenly his palms were too sweaty.

“I was, uh- just telling the guys…” he began.

“Yeah, I heard,” Jack faked a smile. “That’s great, Davey. I’m really happy for you.”

Crutchie wanted to cry looking at the two. This couldn’t be happening. This was some Shakespearean shit right here. The rest of the crowd in the room was oblivious to it all.

Everyone else seemed to jump to life, hopping up and saying “Congratulations!” and hugging the engaged couple. Crutchie even went in for a hug. As he pulled away he gave Davey a sad look and said,

“We gotta talk about this later.”

Albert came up and tapped Davey on the shoulder with a shit-eating grin on his face. Davey, confused, turned and looked at him.

“Hey, hey- Jack and Spot made out.”

Crutchie rolled his eyes and Davey just continued to stare, thoroughly confused. Albert gave a thumbs up, still grinning and backed away slowly.

“It that true-”

“Don’t ask,” Crutchie shook his head. “It’s been a long day.”

At least Spot and Jack got their apartment back.


	2. The One With the Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey and Jack reflect separately on their feelings for each other. The rest of their friends receive their invitations for Davey's wedding.

“You know, all of a sudden, I feel like so much is happening,” Race said as he sat in an armchair and Albert took a seat on the couch in their favorite coffee place, Central Perk. After Davey’s big announcement, everyone was kinda in limbo.

“I know,” Albert agreed. “Davey’s gettin’ hitched…”

“Katherine is makin’ people...” Race listed.

“Everybody’s doin’ stuff.”

“And we’re just sittin’ here!” Race exclaimed. “Ya know, if I were to die, the only way people would know I was even here would be by the ass print on this chair! Look, we have to do _something_. Something huge.”

Albert thought for a moment. He snapped when an idea came to him.

“We could climb Mount Everest!” He said seriously.

“Not something _stupid_ , something _huge_ ,” Race gave him a look.

“People climb that thing all the time, you and me could totally do that,” Albert explained.

“Alright, why not? I mean it’s just climbing,” Race thought. “It’s just, ya know, it’s just _steep_. We’s goin’ to Everest. It’d be great to leave my ass print on Everest!”

Albert grinned, hopping in his seat a little. The door to the coffee place opened and Crutchie wandered in, moving his way towards them with his crutch.

“Hey,” he greeted as he plopped down next to Albert. “What’s up?”

“We’s gonna climb Mount Everest!” Albert beamed.

“Really?” Crutchie said getting excited. “I looked into that! But, my leg ain’t too good. Plus, it costs sixty-thousand dollars, and ya know, you could die.” He glanced between Race and Albert. “And you two _would_ die.”

Race frowned. “Oh well.”

“We could watch that Everest video on Netflix,” Albert offered.

“We could do that without riskin’ our lives at all,” Race said optimistically.

“And while we’re on Netflix, ya know what else we could watch?” Albert grinned. “ _The Avengers_.”

Race nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. He pumped his fists wildly. Crutchie rolled his eyes. These two got too invested in their Marvel movies.

“Oh wait, I just remembered,” Albert began, “Ain’t that Everest video only available for mail order?”

“Oh well,” Race said again.

“So you guys will stay here and hang out with me?” Crutchie asked, smiling brightly.

“Yeah, I guess,” Albert shrugged, slouching back into the couch.

“Lemme tell ya something boys, one day we are gonna get off our butts and watch _The Avengers_ again!” Race declared.

“YEAH, WE ARE!” Albert let out a whoop.

Ridiculous, Crutchie thought.

* * *

While Race and Albert were trying to figure out how to catch up to everyone else in their lives, Davey was sitting in his apartment kitchen with Anna, trying to figure out who to invite to their wedding. All Davey could think was how much he wanted to burn these delicate cursive-written letters in a giant fire. How could he have let this gone so far? He felt powerless to stop it. He was seriously marrying this girl. He barely knew her! This wasn’t what he wanted, and yet he kept quiet.

“So what did we decide? Does your Uncle Nathan get an invite or not?” Anna pondered as she looked at their long list of names and the next invitation card.

_Let’s not invite him. In fact, let’s not invite anyone. Hey, while we’re at it, let’s just not having a wedding at all!_ David thought to himself bitterly.

“Uncle Nathan? I haven’t seen him in years, I barely know him,” Davey admitted. “Plus he’s so cheap. He’d never fly to California in a million years… Yeah, invite him.”

“Alright let me see how you’ve done,” Anna reached across the table and snatched David’s stack of envelopes. She flicked through them and paused when she saw a certain one. “Oh. I see you’ve invited Jack.”

“Yeah, of course,” David said, furrowing his eyebrows. He continued addressing the next envelope.

“Really?”

David’s head shot up. The way she said it made it sound as if it was the worst idea David had ever had. Which maybe it was… Probably not the best idea to invite the one person he might be in love with to his own wedding with another person. That wasn’t gonna stop Davey, though. Jack was his best friend, first and foremost. He gave Anna a look and shrugged.

“Well, if it were me, I don’t think I’d let a criminal into my wedding,” She said blatantly. “There’s lots of expensive things at the venue, I would hate for something to go wrong…”

Davey’s jaw nearly dropped open. He wanted to get up and leave right then and there. Because, what? Was that really what she thought of Jack? He was arrested once for stealing clothes for his old orphanage a few years before David met him. Is that really all Anna thinks of him when she hears “Jack”? That was a long time ago. He was hardly a _criminal_.

“What, do you think we shouldn’t invite him?” David asked, defensively.

“Oh, no, no, David,” she said sweetly, “I absolutely adore Jack and I know he’s changed. I’m just trying to be realistic here. It’s a faraway place, and you know how he is. He gets a tad bit reckless sometimes. But, it’s your decision.”

And David began to get lost in thought. This girl barely knew Jack. She had met him and spent time with him a good number of times, but they weren’t on some personal level. Maybe she simply knew all this about Jack after listening to Davey go on and on about him all the time. Davey should probably stop doing that.

Anna stood from the table and grabbed both their mugs to get them more tea. David buried his face in his hands. He wished he wasn’t in this situation.

* * *

_3 years ago_

“II had twenty, but there’s only nineteen here,” David said over the phone. He stood outside his new apartment building in New York City. All of his boxes were unloaded from his car and were outside on the sidewalk.

He was calling his parents because it just so happened that he was missing a box of his stuff. They lived in upstate New York and it would be a long trip for them to deliver it to him. He didn’t want to put his parents through that so he was trying to figure out which box it was and if it was important. They were supposed to be driving down to see the place in a week anyway.

“Mom, did you find it yet? Okay, great. Can you just tell me what’s in there?” David asked, frustrated with the situation.

“Tell her I say hi!” Les called from beside him, stacking boxes to occupy himself.

David’s little brother begged to come along to help him unpack and settle in and stay the week with him until their folks visited and would bring Les back home after. Reluctantly, their mother agreed. So there they were, David and his fifteen-year-old brother, standing on a curb with nineteen boxes that needed to be carried up five flights of stairs.

“Yeah, okay. Les says hi, by the way. Yes, he’s fine,” David reassured her. “Alright. Thanks. I’ll see you next week. Love you too. Bye.”

Once David hung up he groaned. He lifted up one of the boxes, prepared to heave it into his new apartment.

“What’s the matter? You’re looking a bit outta place,” a voice said from David’s side, approaching him.

David glanced up and was surprised to see the voice was addressing him. He furrowed his eyebrows. A random guy came to a stop before him and the boxes.

He was handsome, no doubt about it. He looked to be about David’s age, maybe a little younger, but he had a smirk on his face that David knew meant trouble. His eyes, however, seemed to tell a different story. They were brown and full of curiosity. David looked him over once. The boy was noticeably shorter than him, but he looked like he could easily beat him up. The tall boy had a feeling that he wouldn’t though; he didn’t seem like the type of person to hurt him. Maybe David was too trusting.

Another boy came limping up beside the brunette before him. He carried a crutch, but he had the biggest smile David had ever seen on his face. This one seemed to radiate happiness. New York City was already odder than David imagined.

“Hey, buddy, I was talkin’ to you,” the brunette waved a hand in front of his face. This boy had a thick New York accent, but it sounded so smooth.

David blinked. “Sorry, can I help you?”

“We live in the next building over, just thought you could use some help movin’ these boxes,” the boy shrugged. He took the box David was holding with ease.

He knew better than to trust a stranger so easily, no matter how attractive he might be. David took the box back, more than happy that the boy didn’t put up a fight, and scowled at him.

“Thanks, but I ain’t no charity case,” David told him. “I don’t even know you.”

“His name’s Jack,” the short boy with the crutch piped up as David moved to turn away. “Jack Kelly. And I’m Charlie Morris, but everyone calls me Crutchie.”

David frowned. Okay, he knew their names now, but why should he trust them? His gut was telling him to get rid of them immediately and ignore them. Something else inside of him was telling him to introduce himself too.

“I’d shake your hand, but you’ve got a box so,” the other one-- Crutchie-- shrugged.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both, but I’m afraid we’re pretty busy and-” David was cut off by Jack.

“Hey kid, you his brother?”

Les, who was observing the conversation, nodded.

“Does he always got a stick up his ass?” Jack smirked and Les burst out laughing. David just felt pretty offended.

“Pretty much,” Les joked back.

“I do _not_ -”

“His name’s David, I’m Les. He’s just moving in here and doesn’t have any friends,” Les explained, ignoring David’s protests.

“How old are you kid?” Jack wondered.

“Sixteen,” Les said straightening. “...almost.”

“Well, I think with a fake ID we could pass you off as legal age,” Jack shrugged. “And if we’re gonna be friends-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” David set down the box and intervened. “He’s just staying with me for the week and helping me move in. No fake IDs. No partying. Nope. Also- who said anything about being _friends_?” David was rambling but he couldn’t help it. He was flabbergasted that this complete stranger was the first person he met in NYC and he seemed to be convinced they would talk again after this encounter.

“Jack’s only joking, ya know,” Crutchie said. “He ain’t too good with new folks. His humor takes a bit of getting used to.”

“Davey, is it?” Jack walked up to the taller boy.

“David, actually-”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted. “Look, I’m just tryna be neighborly. You honestly did look like ya needed some help with these boxes. But, if you and Les here think you can handle it, by all means go head. I’ll be outta your hair faster than you can say ‘newspaper’.”

He turned, already walking away. David bit his lip. He must be insane.

“Wait!” He called. Jack stopped with a smirk. “I guess we could use the extra help…”

“Alright!” Les cheered.

“Crutchie, you get the light stuff. Les, I need you to go get me something to eat. I’ll carry all the heavy stuff and I’ll even throw in being your brother’s friend for free. We gotta deal?” Jack spat in his hand and offered it to the younger boy.

Les grinned and spat in his hand before eagerly shaking Jack’s.

“That’s disgusting.” David grimaced.

“That’s just business,” Jack shrugged.

* * *

 David stood before the mailbox on the sidewalk, wishing for an easier way out of this situation. He already dropped in all of his and Anna’s invitations. He dropped all of them except one, the one addressed to a certain Jack Kelly. David knew his feelings were still there, maybe they always would be, but he couldn’t picture his wedding with Jack there. He had to be there. Jack was David’s person. Without him there, David might actually run away from the altar. He needed him, in whatever way he could get.

David dropped the envelope. 

* * *

  _Two and a half years ago_

“Hey Jack, I was wondering if you had a-” David began to ask as he opened the door to Jack and Spot’s apartment.

“Davey! You can’t come in!”

Suddenly Jack was before him in a heartbeat and shoving him into the hallway. The door slammed loudly in his face. David tried his hardest not be offended. What was up with Jack? He never kicked David out.

In the past six months David had lived in New York, he had grown quite close to Jack, Crutchie, and the rest of their friends. They made a good group. Jack was by default David’s best friend, no matter how hard he tried to get the other boy off his back when he first moved in. Jack was unreliant, though. He wouldn’t leave David alone. He always seemed to be knocking on his door, with a cute smile on his face, dragging him off to their next adventure that David knew would end in disaster.

Why would his best friend quite literally shut him out?

He knocked on the door softly and called inside.

“Jack? Is everything okay?”

He waited, but there was no reply. Luckily, Jack failed to lock the door, so slowly David turned the handle and entered. He was expecting Jack to get angry and push him again, but nothing happened.

“Jack?” he called again.

“Over here,” a quiet voice said from across the apartment.

David turned his head and he wasn’t quite sure how he missed it before. In front of the bay window, thrown over the chair and table that was placed there was a large white, cloth tarp, littered with hundreds of paint stains. A large canvas was propped up and paint cans and brushes were all over the place. Sitting in the center of the confined mess was Jack, just as covered with paint as the tarp. It was all over his arms and his shirt and when he turned to look at David, the tall boy noted that there was also a streak of blue across his forehead. It was a sight to see.

“Hiya, Davey,” Jack said sighing.

“What’s going on?” David asked, bewildered. He made his way over to Jack and saw the canvas before him. On it, was the most beautiful painting of a New York sunset David had ever seen. “Woah,” he breathed. “Jack, did you paint that?”

The paint-covered boy shrugged.

“Jack, this is incredible,” David said earnestly, taking a seat beside Jack.

“Calm down. It’s just a bunch of buildings.”

“No, you’re really good,” David grinned, admiring the work. He turned his head and saw Jack staring at him. The other boy was a lot closer to him than he thought. He could feel light puffs of Jack’s breathing on his face. Jack’s dark eyes bore into him and he seemed to be looking at all of David at once. He felt himself blush a little and ask timidly, “What?”

“Nothin’,” Jack answered, finally turning away. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”

“What?” David asked in disbelief. “Why?”

“Well, first of all, Spot would kill me if he found out paint even came anywhere near his neat apartment,” Jack said seriously. David chuckled. “And I don’t know. I just don’t need everybody knowing. It’s easier to just paint by myself without any pressure. It’s peaceful. That’s why I kinda shoved you out there a minute ago. Just kinda my first instinct to keep it a secret.”

Jack looked out across the city through the window as he said all this, balancing his arm with the paintbrush in it on his knee. David’s heart seemed to flutter. Jack really did look at peace. He always seemed stressed out about something, and covered it with an easy smirk. It worried David, but he never brought it up. Seeing Jack like this was so new and refreshing. It warmed David’s heart and all he wanted to do was wrap Jack up and hug him forever and keep him happy and peaceful like this.

That night was when David knew he fell for Jack Kelly. And he was never really able to get over it, as hard as he tried and as often as he told himself he wasn’t allowed to like guys, let alone his best friend. It was useless. For years he struggled with his own feelings and told himself he had to stop. His parents expected him to marry a nice girl and start a family. He could never be with Jack. He couldn’t be gay. It would ruin everything. He would be letting everyone he knows down.

So, for years, David pushed his feelings for Jack away. Every once and awhile, he and Jack would have moments like that night and he would fall for him all over again. It was the hardest thing David ever had to do. He told himself it was for the best. Besides, Jack would never love him back.

* * *

 “This is just so amazing,” Spot said smiling as he opened his invitation. “I can’t believe Davey’s gettin’ married. And on beach! It’s just so romantic.”

“Who knew you were so soft, Spot,” Katherine teased, laughing a little. Spot shot her a death glare and she threw her hands up in defense.

The majority of the gang was hanging around Spot and Jack’s apartment (as per usual) and they all agreed to open their invitations together when they arrived. Spot took a seat on the couch with Katherine and Crutchie.

Albert opened his own envelope and nodded. “Hey, pretty smart,” he pulled out a tiny piece of thin paper that was in the fancy invitation, “tissue paper! You’re at the wedding, you have to cry, someone says, ‘Handkerchief?’ No, no, I got my invitation.”

Katherine, who was sat on the couch, rolled her eyes. At this point it wasn’t worth it to explain to Albert that tissue paper did not work the same way as actual tissues. Crutchie just giggled.

“Hey,” Race greeted as he entered the always-unlocked apartment.

“Hey, Race! Did ya get your invitation?” Crutchie asked turning to look at him over the back of the couch.

Race walked over and slowly sat down on the armrest of the chair Albert was in. A slightly hurt look crossed his face. “...No.”

Albert perked up, “Hey, that’s alright. I get to bring a guest! We’ll show him.”

Race patted Albert’s shoulder. Of course he was already invited, his invitation just hadn’t arrived yet.

“I’m so jealous you guys are all going,” Katherine pouted. “I can’t believe I never knew you can’t fly in your third trimester.”

“I didn’t either,” Crutchie said. Spot shook his head.

“I knew that,” Albert told them all casually.

Everyone turned their heads and gave Albert a confused look.

He laughed, “I so didn’t know that. But you guys should see your faces.”

Just then Jack came in through the door.

“Hey guys,” he said, noticing them all. “What’s up?”

They all jumped and started hiding their invitations under various furniture and objects or in the couch cushions. This was the last thing Jack needed. They all kinda knew about Jack’s crush on David after Crutchie let it slip about a little while ago. Crutchie was good at keeping secrets, but he broke under pressure very easily. So if anyone was slightly suspicious, there was no hope. He would blurt it out.

“Nothing! Just hanging out!” Spot said a bit too quickly.

Jack shrugged and started searching through his mail on the kitchen table. He stopped when he saw his invitation. Everyone in the room collectively groaned.

“What’s this?” He glanced up at the group in the living room. “Is this Davey’s wedding invitation?”

Race turned away and said to the rest of them, “See, maybe that’s the one we should’ve actually hidden.”

Spot glared at him.

“Oh, c’mon guys. You don’t gotta do that. I’m happy for him,” Jack said ripping open the envelope. “I really am. I’m-”

He got several “are you serious right now” looks from his friends.

“Alright, I’m workin’ on it,” he muttered defensively.

“I’m really sorry, Jack,” Spot said sympathetically as Jack’s face fell, reading the card. He crossed the apartment, heading for his room, and the shorter boy jumped up following him. “You’re gonna come, though. Right?”

“I don’t know,” Jack shook his head.

Race hopped up, looking hesitant. “This isn’t one of those ‘if Jack doesn’t go, no one goes’, type-things, right? Cause I already bought my ticket…”

Spot and Jack both gave him a look, and then promptly ignored what he said.

“You know what wouldn’t be right? If you weren’t there,” Spot pointed out. “Just say you’ll think about it.”

“I will,” Jack sighed. He nodded to the rest of his friends and then ducked into his room.

* * *

  _A few months ago_

Jack’s twenty-sixth birthday was spent quietly at his apartment with his friends. He didn’t want to do anything special. He just wanted to be with the people he cared about. He was pretty bummed when David told him he and his family were flying out to California to visit some old family friends for the week. He would’ve loved to have Davey with him too, but he couldn’t complain.

It was a good day. Crutchie and Albert decorated his entire apartment and Spot and Race baked him a cake (though it was mostly Race because half of the cake batter ended up on Spot when he made the first attempt). The four of them, plus Katherine, all forced Jack into the living room after they ate to open the gifts they bought for him. He protested, complaining that they spent money on him when he said he didn’t want anything.

“Who’s this one from?” Jack wondered aloud as he grabbed the next present. It was a small narrow box and something rattled inside when he shook it.

“Oh, that one’s from Davey,” Race supplied.

Jack unwrapped it and revealed a sleek black box. He took of the lid of it and his mouth dropped a little. Resting inside was the most beautiful paintbrush Jack had ever seen.

“Oh my god,” Jack breathed. “I can’t believe he remembered.”

“Remembered what?” Albert asked from the other side of the room.

Jack glanced up at his friends’ curious faces around him. “It was months ago. Davey and I were shopping and we passed this small craft store and this paintbrush was in the window. I told him that if I had a paintbrush like that I could paint all the stars in the sky. I really wanted it, but I didn’t buy it that day because it’s an antique and would be expensive.”

“Oh yeah, look at that. There’s gold around the tip of it,” Spot pointed out. He was perched on the back of the living room chair where Jack was sitting.

The paintbrush was beautiful. It was wooden with small carvings and a tiny gold vine wrapped around the top half of it. Jack couldn’t believe David would buy him it. There’s was no way he’d ever be able to repay him.

“This must’ve cost him a fortune,” Katherine said, in awe of the thing. “I didn’t even know you liked painting that much Jack.”

Of course she didn’t. None of them really understood. They all knew he enjoyed it but they thought it was just a hobby or something he did to pass time. Only Davey really understood how passionate Jack was about it. And he was the only one who knew because he was the only one Jack let hang around while he painted. He was the only one Jack wanted around.

“I can’t believe he did this,” Spot agreed.

“Oh, come on,” Race shook his head. “You know Davey. He goes all out for the people he loves. He’s the most loyal person I know. He goes above and beyond for us.”

“Yeah, I know Davey loves his friends more than anything, but this?” Jack was still in disbelief.

“He must love you a lot,” Race shrugged.

“Wait, what?” Jack whipped his head to the blonde.

Race seemed nonchalant. “Well, I know for a fact he wouldn’t do this for the rest of us. It’s kinda obvious that you’s his best friend. The only other time I’ve seen him spend so much money on someone was the last time he dated. That girl, Jess? I think it was? Yeah he was like head over heels for her. So he must care about you a lot to get you somethin’ like this.”

Jack’s mind began to race. Everything was slowly clicking into place. Was it possible that David had feelings for him? Race pretty much spelled it out. He probably wouldn’t tell Race, though. David wouldn’t trust anyone with that information. But now that Jack was thinking about it, it all made sense.

Everyone was kind of quiet, all thinking about what Race said. Maybe some of them would get it, others wouldn’t. Jack felt fluttery in his stomach. _It all made sense_.

“Oh my god,” Jack whispered to himself.

“Okay! I think it’s time for that cake,” Crutchie said, jumping up from his seat on the floor and changing the subject abruptly. Odd, Jack noted. “Now, you sure it’s edible Spot?”

“Hey! I ain’t _that_ bad at baking,” Spot defended himself as everyone headed for the kitchen.

Race leaned in and patted his shoulder. “Yes, you are.”

Spot smacked him upside his head.

* * *

 

By the end of that week, Jack couldn’t stop thinking about what Race said. What if Davey really did like him? Jack tried not to feel too optimistic, but all the evidence fit together. Maybe it would all click when he saw David. His flight was landing in about an hour.

“Why don’t you just go to the airport? I’m sick of your pacing,” Crutchie called from the couch where he was snacking on pretzels.

Crutchie was the first person to know about Jack’s potential crush on David. After his birthday he spent the remainder of the week going out of his mind. As soon as he considered David liking him, all he could think about was being with him and being in a relationship with him and doing gross couple stuff with him. He practically talked Crutchie’s ear off after figuring out that he like David more than he originally anticipated. Yes, they were best friends, but apparently it didn’t occur to Jack that some stuff they did was a bit over the line that deemed their relationship ‘platonic’.

“But what if I’m wrong? What if he doesn’t like me like that?” Jack bit his lip, and continued to pace.

“So what? Ask him out, and if he says no, who cares? You can’t lose here, Jack,” Spot advised him from where he was washing the dishes in their kitchen. “Even if Davey doesn’t want to date you, he wouldn’t give up being your friend for the world.”

“But,” Katherine joined in, “There’s always the chance he does like you and you two could be together like you want. Also, you’re gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing, though. Just sit down and wait for him or go to the airport and get him!”

“Okay, you know what? You’re right,” Jack said, suddenly feeling confident. He grabbed his coat off the hook beside the front door. “I’m gonna go down to the airport and tell Davey immediately.”

“Atta boy,” Spot grinned. “Go get your man.”

Jack nodded and left the apartment with a smile on his face.

“Oh wait! While you’re out can you get me more pretzels?” Crutchie called after him. The door closed with a loud slam. He looked at Spot and Katherine, “Do ya think he heard me?”

So, Jack went to the airport and waited for Davey with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. It was cheesy, but Jack was gonna do this and be romantic and everything. The problem that day was, David’s family came back with an extra guest. While on that trip, David was set up with Anna and he simply went along with it, pretending to really like her to please his family. He thought it would just be a few dates while they were out there. He never expected his parents to invite her to fly back to New York with them.

And Jack never expected to see David walking into the waiting area with a girl tucked under his arm. As soon as he spotted them, his stomach dropped and he felt like throwing up. He shoved the flowers into the nearest person’s suitcase and trying to act casual when David spotted him. He smiled and did his best to pretend his heart wasn’t just ripped out and stomped on. Jack was friendly to Anna, she did seem very sweet, and he welcomed Davey back with a brief hug.

The only thing going through his mind was, _how could I have been so wrong?_ David didn’t have feelings for him. He never did. Jack made the whole thing up in his mind. At least he saved himself the embarrassment of being rejected.

That was a pretty bad day for Jack.

* * *

 “I’m going out,” Jack announced a half hour later. He exited his room and crossed the apartment to grab his coat.

“Woah, woah,” Spot furrowed his eyebrows. “Where are you going all dressed up?”

“I’ve got a date,” Jack answered simply.

“A date? Dude, already?” Race wondered, with a concerned expression. “Are you sure you’re alright with this whole Davey-thing?”

“I’m fine!” He lied. “I just met a nice gal the other day and she asked if I wanted to get a drink some time, so I am.”

“Jack…” Crutchie said softly. “You haven’t been on a date in months. Not since Davey got back from California with Anna.”

“Well, I gotta start again sometime, don’t I?”

“Jack, I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Spot said uneasily.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’ll be back later.”

And with that, Jack was gone from the apartment, leaving all of his friends exchanging worried looks. This was a bad idea. Jack was going to regret this.


End file.
